What is going wrong for Manchester United Women?
Manchester United Women’s new era under Eva Olid could hardly have got off to a more difficult start.
A 2-1 defeat to London City Lionesses was followed by a 5-0 thrashing by Chelsea, leaving Olid’s side with plenty of questions to answer after just two Women’s Super League games.
With a new manager, a significantly reshaped squad and no European football this season, there are already reasons for concern at United.
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A huge summer of change
Olid was brought in to replace Marc Skinner after United finished fourth in the WSL last season, missing out on European football.
The club have also seen a significant number of players depart this summer, with Hannah Blundell, Leah Galton, Gabby George, Melvine Malard, Lisa Naalsund and Millie Turner all leaving the club.
In their place, United brought in Rebeca Bernal, Monica Jusu Bah, Janina Leitzig and Andrea Medina, but questions around whether the club had done enough business in the transfer window were rife amongst fans.
The lack of investment in the women’s team has long been a concern at Manchester United, and something Skinner struggled with over his five-year tenure.
In April he said: “I’m absolutely passionate about what we do. But we have to make some changes in the summer. We have to make some changes to make sure that we can compete with what’s clearly a financial market at times.”
The summer rebuild was then compounded by the arrival of Olid, who has never managed in the WSL before. Having only joined at the start of August, she has had limited time to implement her playing style and get a new squad up to speed.
Poor results and worrying performances
United’s opening two results have done little to settle those questions.
The defeat to London City was disappointing, with Alexia Putellas’ new side outplaying United for most of the match. Simi Awujo scored a consolation goal deep into stoppage time, but United offered little attacking threat before then.
The Chelsea loss was more concerning.
United managed just two shots compared to Chelsea’s 24, while nobody in a United shirt received a FotMob rating above 6.5.
Unsurprisingly, defenders Dominique Janssen and Maya Le Tissier were particularly low-rated, receiving scores of 2.8 and 4.6 respectively.
It was not simply the result that was concerning. United were repeatedly exposed defensively, struggled to press Chelsea effectively and made a number of individual errors.
There will be an inevitable adjustment period as Olid implements a new system, but the Chelsea performance suggested some of the problems go beyond simply learning a new style. United struggled to play out from the back, were slow off the ball and lacked creativity in attack.
There have been positives, with Medina impressing in both games before being forced off injured against Chelsea. Bernal also made her debut and could provide another option in midfield. But there is clearly plenty of work to do.
The pressure starts now
There is still a long way to go in the season and two games should not define a campaign.
But United’s lack of European football means their progress will be judged almost entirely on their domestic results, while rivals around them have strengthened.
Having made history last season by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time, United must return to European competition to show progress. But right now, finishing third in the WSL seems a long way off.
For Olid, the challenge is to get the team on board as she establishes a new identity, while restoring confidence before a difficult starts develops into a rut.
Two games do not make a season, but United have already given their new manager plenty to fix.
